Firefighter

A firefighter (also known as a fireman) is a rescuer extensively trained in firefighting, primarily to extinguish hazardous fires that threaten property and civilian or natural populations, and to rescue people from dangerous situations, like collapsed or burning buildings or crashed vehicles. In some areas, they are also trained in Emergency Medical Services (EMS) and operate ambulances in addition to being a firefighter.

The complexity of modern industrialized life with a greater prominence of hazards has created an increase in the skills needed in firefighting technology and a broadening of the firefighter-rescuer's remit. The fire service, or fire and rescue service, also known in some countries as the fire brigade or fire department, is one of the three main emergency services. Firefighting and firefighters have become ubiquitous around the world, from wildlands to urban areas, and aboard ships. According to Merriam-Webster's Dictionary, the English word firefighter has been used since 1903. In recent decades it has become the preferred term, replacing fireman, since more women serve as firefighters, and also because the term fireman can have other meanings, including someone who sets, stokes, or tends fires, especially in designated fireplaces – the opposite of the firefighting role.

Fire Fighter (fireboat)

Fire Fighter is a fireboat which served the New York City Fire Department from 1938 through 2010, serving with Marine Companies 1, 8 & 9 during her career. The most powerful diesel-electric fireboat in terms of pumping capacity when built in 1938, the Fire Fighter fought more than 50 major fires during her career, including fires aboard the SS Normandie in 1942, the 1973 collision of the Esso Brussels and SS Sea Witch and the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001.

FDNY Service History

Authorized for construction in early 1937 by Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia based on designs submitted by noted naval architect William Francis Gibbs and his firm Gibbs & Cox, the Fire Fighter was laid down at United Shipyards as Hull #856 and was christened and launched on August 28, 1938 by Miss Eleanor Grace Flanagan. After fitting out and sea trials, the Fire Fighter officially entered service with the New York City Fire Department on at 0900hrs on November 16, 1938 with Engine 57 at Pier 1 in the Battery, which would later be organized as Marine Unit 1. Serving from this post through the mid-1960s, Fire Fighter would respond to two of her most famous actions; the fire and capsizing of the SS Normandie in 1942 and the fire aboard the ammunition-laden SS El Estero in 1943, among dozens of other vessel and pier fires across New York Harbor.

Veteran

A veteran (from Latinvetus, meaning "old") is a person who has had long service or experience in a particular occupation or field; "A veteran of..."

This page refers to military veterans, i.e., a person who has served or is serving in the armed forces. Those veterans that have had direct exposure to acts of military conflict may also be referred to as war veterans (although not all military conflicts, or areas in which armed combat takes place, are necessarily referred to as wars).

Public attitude towards veterans

Military veterans often receive special treatment in their respective countries due to the sacrifices they made during wars. Different countries handle this differently: some openly support veterans through government programs, while others ignore them. Veterans are also subject to illnesses directly related to their military service such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). War veterans are generally treated with great respect and honour for their contribution to the world and country by their own nationals. Conversely there are often negative feelings towards the veterans of foreign nations held long after the war is over; for example towards the German Nazi soldiers, yet they are no less veterans of war than those of the winning side. There are exceptions. Veterans of unpopular or lost conflicts may be discriminated against. Veterans of short or small conflicts are often forgotten when the country fought bigger conflicts. In some countries with strong anti-military traditions (e.g., Germany after 1945), veterans are neither honoured in any special way by the general public, nor have their dedicated Veterans Day, although events are sometimes orchestrated by minority groups.

See also

Veteran (album)

Veteran is the third studio album of AmericanR&B artist Marques Houston, a former member of the R&B group Immature/IMx. The album was released in the U.S. on March 20, 2007 and is available as a standard version, as well as a Circuit City Exclusive version (which includes a bonus DVD) and a Target Exclusive version (which includes a bonus track). Veteran sold almost 70,000 units in its first week.

History

Houston describes Veteran as "a reflection of who I am as an artist and as a man. There's a lot that I've been through as far as relationships and just experiencing life. I'm only 25, but I’m a veteran because I've been in the industry since I was 8, and I've watched the changes." The album release date was pushed back to give Houston time to cope with the death of his grandmother.